If you've ever wanted to craft a truly custom Debian-based Live ISO - whether
for personal use, testing, or just experimentation - live-build is an incredibly
powerful (but underrated) tool. It's the official Debian build system for
creating Live systems, and with a bit of scripting you can turn it into
anything: a minimal rescue disk, a preconfigured dev environment, or even a
gaming-focused distro.
I recently dove into live-build to create
*KoruX* (
https://github.com/KoruX-GNU-Linux/KoruX) - a minimalist Debian 12
(Bookworm) Live/Installed system tailored for developers and maintainers, with a
sprinkle of classic games (Diablo 1/2, Heroes 3, Quake 1-2-3) for fun. It's a
hobby project, but the real takeaway is how flexible live-build is once you
grasp its structure.
Why live-build?
* Full control: Choose every package, tweak configs, and inject custom scripts.
* Dual-mode: Boot as a Live system or install to disk
(I used *Calamares* (
https://calamares.io/) for a graphical installer).
* Documentation: The *official manual*
(
https://live-team.pages.debian.net/live-manual/) is thorough, and projects
like *nodiscc/debian-live-config* (
https://github.com/nodiscc/debian-live-config)
provide great starting points.
What I Learned (and How You Can Start)
1. Start small: Begin with a basic config/ directory (package lists, hooks, etc.).
2. Hooks are magic: Use config/hooks/ to run scripts at build time (e.g.,
setting up users, themes, or game installers).
3. Hardening matters: I added minimal secure defaults for Firefox, OpenSSL, PAM,
sshd, sudoers, GRUB, and sysctl (ASLR). Even for personal projects, it's good
practice.
4. Theming is fun: Custom GRUB, login manager, and desktop tweaks make the
system feel like yours (works with any DE/DM).
Why Share This?
I'm not here to promote KoruX (it's niche!). Instead, I want to highlight how
accessible live-build is for anyone who's ever thought:
* "I wish Debian had [X] by default."
* "I need a portable dev environment."
* "I want to learn how distros are built."
If you've played with live-build, what did you create? Any tips for newcomers?
And if you're just starting, what's your dream custom ISO?
(P.S. If you're looking for a minimal template, *nodiscc/debian-live-config*
(
https://github.com/nodiscc/debian-live-config) is a fantastic starting point.
You can also search GitHub for other live-build projects for more examples.)